McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Sold by Cinctive Capital Management LP

Cinctive Capital Management LP decreased its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 97.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,407 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 94,426 shares during the quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $731,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in McDonald’s by 0.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 71,647,669 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $21,773,010,000 after purchasing an additional 316,638 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.8% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,828,352 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,175,800,000 after purchasing an additional 272,139 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,780,712,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 29,382.3% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,737,548 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,676,339,000 after buying an additional 5,718,087 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Soundwatch Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,412,069,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,276 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.54, for a total transaction of $8,764,097.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,638,066. The trade was a 53.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total value of $1,553,052.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,052,200. The trade was a 43.08% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 71,657 shares of company stock worth $23,722,204 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCD has been the topic of several research reports. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $354.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $320.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $339.69.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

Here are the key news stories impacting McDonald’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc raised its price target and called out strong momentum in McDonald’s U.S. business — a direct analyst catalyst that supports upside expectations. KeyBanc Cites Strong Momentum in McDonald’s Corporation (MCD)’s Domestic Business
• Positive Sentiment: Several bullish pieces (Seeking Alpha, Seeking Alpha follow-ups, and Yahoo summaries of bullish theses) argue McDonald’s is still a structurally attractive holding thanks to scale, menu innovation and resilient margins. These reinforce buy-side interest. Three Reasons To Own McDonald’s Now
• Positive Sentiment: Company strategy milestones (franchising, digital/operational improvements highlighted in business press) are being framed as the “next big step” in McDonald’s post‑pandemic playbook — potentially supportive for long‑term sales and margins. McDonald’s Just Announced the Next Big Step In Its Post-Pandemic Strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: McValue 2.0 menu is getting attention as a traffic driver, but analysts warn McDonald’s current valuation leaves limited upside — positive for comps but mixed for shares. McDonald’s McValue 2.0 Menu Is Appetizing But Valuation Leaves Little Room For Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple consumer‑interest pieces (sauces, fries, Filet‑O‑Fish cheese) are being shared widely — good for brand engagement but unlikely to move the stock materially. How are McDonald’s Big Mac & Big Arch sauces different? Why McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish Always Has Crooked Cheese
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noting Darden (DRI) and Restaurant Brands (QSR) outpacing McDonald’s highlights relative underperformance risk — investors may reallocate to higher‑growth peers. Why DRI And QSR Are Outpacing McDonald’s Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Barchart suggests the stock’s price targets have moved higher but the share price has been flat, making shorting out‑of‑the‑money puts an attractive trade — a signal that some market participants expect limited near‑term upside or downside risk. McDonald’s Stock Price Targets Are Higher – Shorting MCD Puts Works Here
• Negative Sentiment: Industry pieces on burger/commodity cost pressures (Burger King/Whopper coverage) flag margin risk for beef‑centric menu items — a potential headwind if input costs spike. McDonald’s and Burger King face whopper of a burger problem

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE MCD opened at $326.79 on Tuesday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $283.47 and a 52 week high of $341.75. The stock has a market cap of $232.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $320.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $311.61.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.83 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be given a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.26%.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is a global quick-service restaurant company best known for its hamburgers, French fries and breakfast offerings. The company develops, operates and franchises a system of restaurants that sell a range of food and beverage items, including signature products such as the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets, McCafé coffee beverages and a variety of salads, desserts and seasonal menu items. McDonald’s serves customers through company-operated restaurants and franchised locations, and it supports sales via dine-in, drive-thru, digital ordering platforms and third-party delivery partnerships.

Founded in 1940 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald as a single San Bernardino, California restaurant, the business was transformed into a franchising model after Ray Kroc joined in the mid-1950s and led the brand’s national and international expansion.